Eat Local
Impacts: Health, Community
“The planter, the farmer, the mechanic, and the laborer… form the great body of the people of the United States, they are the bone and sinew of the country men who love liberty and desire nothing but equal rights and equal laws.” – Andrew Jackson
Eating local provides several life improving benefits. Locally produced food tends to be higher quality and competitively priced. You also end up supporting the local economy which in the end makes the entire community stronger. Many communities have local farmers’ markets that operate year round support local small farms and not large corporate or foreign farms.
Another good source of local food is often local markets and independent grocery stores. But it’s important to ask the people that run the market about where the food comes from since out of season produce often comes from overseas.
Eating local also implies eating less manufactured food products which in turn means fewer preservatives and ingredients. It also implies you’re saving money on less packaging since the local farmer isn’t likely to shrink wrap their fresh produce.
Take Action
- Find the closest farmers market and try to visit it as often as you can. localharvest.org
- Find small local markets that sell locally grown foods.
- Find other people who like to garden and share your harvests.
- Start a little garden yourself, even if it’s just herbs in the kitchen window.
